Short version: At 17, a Texas high school athlete may sign a deal with a college. A deal with a brand waits until their UIL eligibility in that sport is used up, and the UIL's amateur rule says what happens if it doesn't.
Two sets of rules answer this, and they don't stop in the same place. One is state law, in the Education Code. The other is the University Interscholastic League, the UIL, which runs high school sports at its member schools in Texas.
What Texas law says
Until June 2025, Texas law said nobody could make any arrangement with a recruit over their name, image or likeness "prior to their enrollment" in college. That line had been in the Education Code since 2021.
House Bill 126 repealed it. The governor signed it on June 5, 2025, and it took effect that day. In its place the bill added one narrower rule, Subsection (k-1).
It says that unless a recruit "younger than 17 years of age" is enrolled in college, a person, a company or a college "may not enter into an arrangement" over their name, image or likeness.
That covers a deal with the athlete, or with a relative by "consanguinity or affinity," which means by blood or marriage.
So at 16, the law closes the door for the family too. A parent can't sign a deal over a 16-year-old's name in their place. At 17, the statute stops saying no. It doesn't say yes to everything, either. It just ends there.
At 17 you're also still a minor. Texas sets the age of majority at 18, so a 17-year-old's deal is still a minor's contract.
What the UIL says
The UIL's guidance on HB 126, updated July 15, 2025, is the same on its 2026-27 policy page. It's written under Section 441, the UIL's amateur rule.
It says athletes "aged 17 or older" may sign name, image and likeness agreements "ONLY with postsecondary institutions," which means colleges. The capitals are the UIL's. The deal also has to follow state law and NCAA rules.
For everyone else, the guidance is just as plain. An agreement "with any entity other than a postsecondary institution" may not be signed "until the prospective student-athlete has exhausted UIL eligibility in the applicable sport." A brand, a local shop and a collective all fall in that group.
The 2026-27 rulebook says the same in its own words. Section 441 lets recruits sign a scholarship agreement, and "other financial agreements, including Name, Image or Likeness agreements," with a college, "in accordance with state law."
One more line in the guidance is about help. "UIL rules do not prohibit" a recruit from getting professional representation for these deals. It allows it. Nothing in it requires it.
Texas law stopped saying no at 17. The UIL still says wait.
What happens if the amateur rule is broken
Section 441 runs from the first class day of ninth grade "until all athletic competitions are completed in the 12th grade." It covers summers too, and it applies in school or out of it.
The rule says a student is not an amateur if, in the past 12 months, they took money or "other valuable consideration," which means anything of value, for taking part in a UIL sport.
Being paid to let their name promote a product related to a UIL sport or contest counts too. So does money from booster club funds for anything that isn't a school purpose.
Then it says what follows. While a student holds what they received, they're ineligible for varsity play in that sport. Any games they played in that time are forfeited, and the rule calls that "the minimum penalty."
There's a way back. A student who didn't realize it broke the rule, and returns it within 30 days of being told, can regain eligibility from the day it's returned. Miss the 30 days and they stay ineligible for one year from when they took it.
The rule is "sport-specific." A violation in one sport makes the student ineligible in that sport only. Narrow, yes. A year is still a year.
How a particular deal is read is up to the school and the UIL, and a school or district can set a stricter policy than the UIL's. The UIL rule covers its member schools. A school in another association follows that association's rule.
Three ages, three answers
At 16, Texas law says no deal over your name, with you or your family, unless you're already enrolled in college. The UIL says the same.
At 17, a college can sign one with you, under state law and NCAA rules. A brand, a shop or a collective waits until your UIL eligibility in that sport is used up.
At 18 you're an adult under Texas law. The UIL's rule doesn't change on your birthday, though. It still follows eligibility, sport by sport.
What Leave does with this
In Leave, a deal thread carries a summary of the rules for your state, your level and your age. For Texas, that's the UIL rule above. It's a summary, not a ruling. Your school decides.
If you're 13 to 17, a parent or guardian creates your account and is your Teammate until 18. Upload a contract and Leave reads it back in plain words. Leave takes 0 percent of any deal, and you decide what to sign.
Questions people ask
Can a 17-year-old in Texas sign a deal with a local business?
Not while they still have UIL eligibility in that sport, under the UIL's guidance. Texas law no longer bars a deal at 17. The UIL rule is the one that says a deal with anyone other than a college waits.
Can a parent sign a deal for a Texas athlete who is 16?
No. Texas law bars anyone from an arrangement over the name of a recruit younger than 17, or with a relative by blood or marriage, unless the athlete is enrolled in college. The UIL's guidance says the same.
What happens if a Texas athlete breaks the UIL amateur rule?
Under Section 441, the student is ineligible for varsity play in that sport while holding what they received. If they didn't know and return it within 30 days of being told, eligibility can come back that day. Otherwise it's one year.
Be your own agent. Leave.